Tufts lacrosse team, and coach Mike Daly, honored for national title

In a ceremony before their Aug. 26 exhibition game at Gillette Stadium, the New England Patriots saluted the men’s lacrosse team of Tufts University, winners of the NCAA Division III 2010 championship.

On July 8, the team was saluted by the Boston Cannons of Major League Lacrosse.

Tufts lacrosse is coached by Mike Daly, a Westfield native who never played the game.

Football was his sport when he was a student at Westfield High School and Tufts.

“When I was in graduate school (at Tufts), they assigned me to lacrosse. I was thrown into the fire,” he said.

In 1997, the year before he took over the program, the team’s record was 0-13-1.

Although new to the sport, he had the coaching knack. His teams were competitive almost immediately, and the program soon flourished.

Last spring, his Jumbos beat Salisbury of Maryland 9-6 in the Division III final, capping a 20-1 season. It was the first Tufts team in any sport to win a national title.

Daly’s record for 12 seasons is 129-65. He has won New England, conference and national coach of the year awards.

His Jumbos have more salutes coming their way. They’ll be honored at the White House, and at a Red Sox game. Dates have not been set.

“No doubt about it, it’s been a great ride,” Daly said.

THE PAYNE PLAN: Thursday’s reunion of Lahovich Award winners at the new basketball monument in Mason Square was just the beginning.

“We put this reunion together in a matter of days. Next year, we’re going to do it again, with more people involved.” said Henry Payne, a stellar performer in his years at Commerce and American International College.

Payne served as co-chairman with another Lahovich Award winner, Jessie Spinks. They had a lot of help from Mo Jones, a former city councilor.

David Montgomery, a Springfield Trade player of the 1960s, was among the spectators at the reunion. He said basketball Hall of Famers and current players should make it a point to visit the monument, which marks the site of the first basketball game in 1891.

“Basketball is their livelihood. They should come here, see the monument, and walk to that corner (Sherman and State streets) where their sport began,” Montgomery said.

The building that housed the first game no longer exists.

“They should never have torn it down,” Montgomery said.

AMELIA ANNIVERSARY: A celebration of the 10th season for Westfield’s Amelia Park Ice Arena starts Sept. 10 with free skating from 4 to 8 p.m.

Other anniversary events planned by executive director Carole Appleton will include a Veterans Day observance, a Winter Classic party on New Year’s Day and the 13th annual New England Invitational Sled Hockey Tournament April 15-17.

BEST BET for the weekend: Quality Road, in the Woodward Stakes at Saratoga.